Eldor Aripov: Baku-Tashkent co-op developing against backdrop of historical events in region

Relations between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan are developing against the backdrop of historical events in the region, Director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Eldor Aripov said at the second meeting of the Azerbaijani-Uzbek Expert Council "Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan: Promising Directions for the Development of Mutually Beneficial Cooperation," according to Report.

"Our countries have prospects not only for bilateral cooperation, but also for the intensification of regional ties in the "Central Asia - South Caucasus" format," he noted.

According to him, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan can become a kind of locomotives guiding the development of this interaction.

"Our regions have long-standing and close ties. The great poet Alisher Navoi considered Nizami Ganjavi his teacher, which is also a symbol of the deep cultural ties between our countries," he said.

Aripov emphasized that relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are developing in an ascending direction, which became possible thanks to the trusting relationship between the leaders of the two countries. According to him, this opens up broad opportunities for expanding economic cooperation.

"We are actively working to replace imports from third countries, developing industrial cooperation, it can become a driver of our economic interaction," Aripov emphasized.